Hurricane Ian slams into Florida's southwest coast. President Joe Biden stated that Ian was the most destructive hurricane Florida has ever seen.
The initial conclusion is that more than fifteen people were killed. According to the figures, 26 lakh houses have been affected by heavy rains and cyclones.
Ian, which wreaked havoc in Florida, has re-intensified and is moving toward the Carolinas. President Joe Biden visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assess the current situation. He said the death toll could rise further.
Emergency crews tried on Thursday to reach stranded Florida residents as a resurgent Hurricane Ian veered toward the Carolinas after cutting a path of destruction across Florida, leaving behind deadly floodwaters, downed power lines and widespread damage.
More than 2.3 million homes and businesses in Florida remained without power, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina were bracing for impact as Ian - which weakened to a tropical storm during its trek across Florida - returned to hurricane strength by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) after moving into the Atlantic Ocean, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 miles per hour (120 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was forecast to make landfall again around 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT) on Friday north of Charleston. A hurricane warning was in effect for hundreds of miles of coastline from the South Carolina-Georgia border north to Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Ian was expected to bring potentially life-threatening storm surges and possible tornadoes to the region on Friday, the National Weather Service said.
In South Carolina, Mercedes Benz (MBGn.DE), Boeing Co (BA.N), and the seaports that support manufacturers will suspend operations on Friday.
Charleston is particularly at risk, according to a city-commissioned report released in November 2020, which found about 90% of all residential properties were vulnerable to storm surge flooding.
From Englewood to Bonnet Beach, more than 2.5 million people were affected. Electricity and phone connections were completely broken due to rain and wind.
Many houses were flooded and most of the roads were underwater due to the ten feet high waves.
The only bridge on the Sanibel Veep collapsed. Flight services were also suspended
A state of emergency has also been declared in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia due to the warning that the hurricane may intensify again.
According to the current track, the storm is moving towards South Carolina. At present, the wind speed is reported to be low.
Heavy rains accompanied the storm and caused damage in many places. The American Coast Guard is carrying out rescue operations by reaching all the houses. It is estimated that 25 lakh houses have been affected by heavy rains and hurricanes.
Florida State Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said 24,000 employees are trying to restore essential services, including power.